This week was a good week in the agency. Here is how it went:
Monday - of course it was MLK Day, and the agency was closed. I did not realize this until I showed up and the receptionist looked at me weird.
Tuesday - I worked at the agency in the day program. I feel I am starting to build some good report with the kids in the program. Most of them are good kids, but there have been a couple that have been a challenge. For the most part, the biggest challenge they present is focusing on working on the educational learning tool. Granted if I was there age, I probably would not want to be there for three hours a day working on educational stuff either. However, Mrs. Lipscomb, the Executive Director, has told them, they were the ones who have put themselves in this situation. Lookinat the NASW Code of Ethics, I feel it could be useful in this situation in working with the kids self-determination to be reinstated back in to the school system. Through this program, they have an oppertunity to earn class credit going back to school while they have been expelled. With that being said, there were a couple of kids who were brought in to the program the week of the 14th. Ever since they have been in the program, they have been wanting to joke, laugh, bother others around them, etc. and not work. My confindence, I feel, increased this past week through talking with them and letting them know that their behavior was not acceptable. I also discussed with them that they have put themself in this situation. If they do not want to work to get back in to school, that is there perogative, but being in this program, they are expected to work on the educational learning tool.
Wednesday - This was a good day, but started off kind of awkward. I was to meet a case worker who I have been shadowing at an elementary school on the west side. I entered the school and went to the main office and asked if the case worker had made it there. They just gave me the more wierd face. This was a good learning expereince for me because it helped build my confidence of meeting people I will be coming in contact with at schools. Anyway, I ended up meeting the case worker at another school. Here, we were able to sit down and talk with the child's primary teacher. The student had moved to a new school and the case worker had not had the oppertunity to meet with the teacher.
Overall - I feel my confidence level is starting to increase. Reading this past weeks chapter on expectations came at a good time. I am the type of person who has kind of a split personality when it comes to doing something new. I feel I want to jump right in and start doing what needs to be done, but at the same time, question what I am doing to make sure I am getting reassurance that I am doing what i am suppose to be doing. This week helped me be reassured that I am new at this and it will take time to build my confidence in what i am doing. Social Work as a whole is new to me, so it has been good to take what I am learning in the classroom and see it play out in real life.
Policy/macro: What Indiana Bills & Resolutions for the Spring 08 Legislative Session are of interest to you personally? What Indiana Bills & Resolutions are of interest to you professionally? Describe their significance to you, your agency, & your clients.
For my clients - The Indiana Bill I thought was of interest for my clients was Senate Bill 0069. The Bill requires employers of a paretn to provide paid leave to the parent for school conferences when the conferences cannot be schduled during the employee's nonworking hours. I feel this would be vary beneficial for the parents of T.A.S.'s clients. Many parents do not meet with the child's teachers because they do not have the time to do so. Single moms trying to raise two or three kids may not have time to come in while the teacher is there, and they probably cannot afford to miss work to meet with the teacher. This bill would require employers to pay their employee's, while giving the parent an oppertunity meet with the teachers.
Bills of interest to me - There are actually two bills of interest to me in the House. They both deal with the same issue, but come from different perspectives. The first bill I read, House Bill 1247, wants to increase the state sales tax on gasoline from 6% to 6.4%. This would increase the gasoline tax from $0.18 per gallon to $0.25 per gallon, a difference of $0.07. This 7 cent increase does not sound like much, but if one does the math, it would be a big increse. For me personally, I fill my tank, on average, every two weeks, generally 14 gallons per fill. This would be an increase of 98 cents per fill. Filling my tank twice a month for twelve months would increase my fuel costs to $23.52. As a poor college student with a new child, that $23.50 is important to me.
The other bill that is of interest to me is House Bill 1330. This bill would eliminate gasoline tax. I geuss they are both of interest to me because I do not understand why there would be two bills in the house that deal with the same issue, and contradict each other. The other thing I do not understand is that the same representative authored both bills two days apart.....does anyone else understand that?
On a personal note, the next time I enter a blog entry I will be a new father!! :)
Weekly hours: 15
Hours to date: 46
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
New week - new adventures
Second Week - New Adventures
Case Management
The second week was a good one for me. I have started to feel more comfortable with what I am to do in the agency. This past Monday I found out that I will have a "case load" of clients that I will be working with who are in the schools. What I will be doing is observing the kids in the school setting, watching them interact with the teachers and other classmates. I have followed a Case Worker with T.A.S. who has been doing it for over twenty years. I will be working with him since the three kids I will be observing in the classroom are part of his case load. I am excited about this opportunity to work with a veteran in the field. I spent quite a bit of time on Monday and Tues. reviewing the case assessments on the clients I will be observing.
Dr. Perry
The four interns at T.A.S. this semester have been meeting with a psychologist, Dr. Perry on Monday afternoons. Last Monday was the second time we had met with him. He is a very insightful person, and I look forward to meeting with him more as the semester goes on. Like Mr. Thompson, the case manager, I have learned much from Dr. Perry in the just the limited time spent with him. He has been very insightful in working with clients and what to look for in certain situations.
The week as a whole
This past week was a good one for me at the agency. I am becoming more familiar with the people who work there. More importantly, I am becoming more familiar with the clients T.A.S. serves. I have been facilitating the day program that happens at the agency, where kids come in and work on an educational program called A+. What it does is help the kids who have been expelled work on there education. Through this program, these kids can be integrated back in to school with class credit. What I have been observing is the kids and how they interact with the program. When they first come in, they have no motivation to work on it. Then, after two or three days, when they realize that this isn't something to come in and mess around with, they start doing the work. Many of them are actually surprising them self in the fact that they can learn in a safe environment, at there own pace. I will be with these same set of kids throughout the semester as I am in and out of the office (between working on the case load within the school setting) and I am excited to work with them to help them understand that even though society may look at them as troublemakers, they are smart and can do the work. The day program is twelve weeks, so I will be able to work with them until they leave, which I am excited about.
How could doing research for classes impact your relationship with your clients?
I believe that doing research for classes could impact the relationship with my clients by helping me see how I can better communicate with the clients. I am working mainly with kids in the 7-10th grades. Many kids in that age range is still searching who they are. They test the water to see what they can get away with. Many of them are probably in a situation where they do not have a stable, positive influence in their lives. Research would help me understand who to conduct myself with them. It would also help me know how to communicate in a way they can understand me. As I said earlier in this blog entry, these kids are good kids, just misunderstood because no one has taken the time to understand them. So to answer how I feel research would impact my relationship with my clients, I feel research would help me understand how I can interact with them in a way they would appreciate. Not that this is something I have not been trying to do since i have been there, but the kids are mainly a population I have not spent too much time with on a one on one basis.
Practicum hours this week: 14
Practicum hours to date: 32
Case Management
The second week was a good one for me. I have started to feel more comfortable with what I am to do in the agency. This past Monday I found out that I will have a "case load" of clients that I will be working with who are in the schools. What I will be doing is observing the kids in the school setting, watching them interact with the teachers and other classmates. I have followed a Case Worker with T.A.S. who has been doing it for over twenty years. I will be working with him since the three kids I will be observing in the classroom are part of his case load. I am excited about this opportunity to work with a veteran in the field. I spent quite a bit of time on Monday and Tues. reviewing the case assessments on the clients I will be observing.
Dr. Perry
The four interns at T.A.S. this semester have been meeting with a psychologist, Dr. Perry on Monday afternoons. Last Monday was the second time we had met with him. He is a very insightful person, and I look forward to meeting with him more as the semester goes on. Like Mr. Thompson, the case manager, I have learned much from Dr. Perry in the just the limited time spent with him. He has been very insightful in working with clients and what to look for in certain situations.
The week as a whole
This past week was a good one for me at the agency. I am becoming more familiar with the people who work there. More importantly, I am becoming more familiar with the clients T.A.S. serves. I have been facilitating the day program that happens at the agency, where kids come in and work on an educational program called A+. What it does is help the kids who have been expelled work on there education. Through this program, these kids can be integrated back in to school with class credit. What I have been observing is the kids and how they interact with the program. When they first come in, they have no motivation to work on it. Then, after two or three days, when they realize that this isn't something to come in and mess around with, they start doing the work. Many of them are actually surprising them self in the fact that they can learn in a safe environment, at there own pace. I will be with these same set of kids throughout the semester as I am in and out of the office (between working on the case load within the school setting) and I am excited to work with them to help them understand that even though society may look at them as troublemakers, they are smart and can do the work. The day program is twelve weeks, so I will be able to work with them until they leave, which I am excited about.
How could doing research for classes impact your relationship with your clients?
I believe that doing research for classes could impact the relationship with my clients by helping me see how I can better communicate with the clients. I am working mainly with kids in the 7-10th grades. Many kids in that age range is still searching who they are. They test the water to see what they can get away with. Many of them are probably in a situation where they do not have a stable, positive influence in their lives. Research would help me understand who to conduct myself with them. It would also help me know how to communicate in a way they can understand me. As I said earlier in this blog entry, these kids are good kids, just misunderstood because no one has taken the time to understand them. So to answer how I feel research would impact my relationship with my clients, I feel research would help me understand how I can interact with them in a way they would appreciate. Not that this is something I have not been trying to do since i have been there, but the kids are mainly a population I have not spent too much time with on a one on one basis.
Practicum hours this week: 14
Practicum hours to date: 32
Monday, January 14, 2008
Week 1
So I am not for sure what to do with this whole blogg thing, because it is something that I have not really done before. But, this is the first one, so here we go.
I am going to write this week on the macro of the agency, since I have not met with a client one on one yet. So, looking at the macro of the agency and the policies that govern it, I turn to the employee handbook which lays out the organizations policies and procedures.
Looking at a policy that is beneficial to the client, I want to discuss section 104 of the employee handbook, which discusses Business Ethics and Conduct. Within this section of the handbook it starts by saying, "The successful business operation and reputation of the agency is built upon the principles of fair dealing and ethical conduct of our employees. Our reputation for integrity and excellence requires careful observance of the spirit and letter of all applicable laws and regulations, as well as a scrupulous regard for the highest standards of conduct and personal integrity." The reason I felt this was an important aspect of the policy of the organization is because it lays a good foundation of how every employee serving the client should conduct themselves. When looking at ethical conduct employees, the client benefits by being treated in a fair and just manner. By having this included in the policy of the organization, not only are they laying out how the company should act or respond, but they are aligning themselves with what the NASW Code of Ethics views as ethical behavior.
When looking at a policy within the organization that could be detrimental to the client, I would like to look at the nature of employment, which is also listed in the employee policy handbook. The policy states, "Employment with the organization is voluntarily entered into, and the employee is free to resign at will at any time, with or without cause. Similarly, the organization may terminate the employment relationship at will at any time, with our without notice or cause, so long as there is not violation of applicable federal or state law." This could could be detrimental to the client for a number of reasons, but the reason I bring this policy up is because the clients the organization serves are kids who may or may not have a stable, positive person in their life. Though this policy is not stating the organization would fire someone for no good reason, the idea of firing at will could be a big blow to kids who are in an unstable environment.
I could not really think of any other policies that would be detrimental to the client, but since no governing entity is perfect, I am sure as time goes on in the semester, one or two may make themselves known. As for this week, thats all I have.
I am going to write this week on the macro of the agency, since I have not met with a client one on one yet. So, looking at the macro of the agency and the policies that govern it, I turn to the employee handbook which lays out the organizations policies and procedures.
Looking at a policy that is beneficial to the client, I want to discuss section 104 of the employee handbook, which discusses Business Ethics and Conduct. Within this section of the handbook it starts by saying, "The successful business operation and reputation of the agency is built upon the principles of fair dealing and ethical conduct of our employees. Our reputation for integrity and excellence requires careful observance of the spirit and letter of all applicable laws and regulations, as well as a scrupulous regard for the highest standards of conduct and personal integrity." The reason I felt this was an important aspect of the policy of the organization is because it lays a good foundation of how every employee serving the client should conduct themselves. When looking at ethical conduct employees, the client benefits by being treated in a fair and just manner. By having this included in the policy of the organization, not only are they laying out how the company should act or respond, but they are aligning themselves with what the NASW Code of Ethics views as ethical behavior.
When looking at a policy within the organization that could be detrimental to the client, I would like to look at the nature of employment, which is also listed in the employee policy handbook. The policy states, "Employment with the organization is voluntarily entered into, and the employee is free to resign at will at any time, with or without cause. Similarly, the organization may terminate the employment relationship at will at any time, with our without notice or cause, so long as there is not violation of applicable federal or state law." This could could be detrimental to the client for a number of reasons, but the reason I bring this policy up is because the clients the organization serves are kids who may or may not have a stable, positive person in their life. Though this policy is not stating the organization would fire someone for no good reason, the idea of firing at will could be a big blow to kids who are in an unstable environment.
I could not really think of any other policies that would be detrimental to the client, but since no governing entity is perfect, I am sure as time goes on in the semester, one or two may make themselves known. As for this week, thats all I have.
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